From A to Z
by AndItsOuttaHere
Summary: Babies need to try on lots of names.


_This is a harmless fluffy Raylan/Winona one-shot. I don't own Justifed or any of the characters. They belong to Elmore Leonard, Graham Yost, and the gods of fiction._

_This conversation takes place one night between the end of The Gunfighter and the beginning of Harlan Roulette._

**From A to Z**

Winona pulls the covers up and rolls over to face him in the darkness. "I'll start," she says. "Aaron."

"Not bad. Bartholomew. Didja know that was Bat Masterson's real name?"

"He's one of those old time marshals, right?"

Raylan nods,

"But Bat? You'd curse a kid with that nickname? Really?"

Raylan shrugs. "Bart would work, too, I guess. Bart Givens. That sounds okay, doesn't it?

"Um hmm. 'C'. Hmmm." She stares at the ceiling. "I like Caroline or Carolyn for a girl. It's kind of old fashioned." Her eyes slide toward him, searching his face. "Do you want to know what it is if the doctor can tell us?"

He throws the question back at her. "Do you?"

"I don't know. Maybe." She closes her eyes and lays a hand on her still flat belly. "Maybe not. 'D'...your turn."

"Daniel."

"I like that. Ethan."

"I still say Felix is a good one." Raylan grins and Winona pokes him in the ribs.

"Grace is nice, or Grant."

" 'H' is mine, huh?" Raylan is quiet for a moment and Winona pushes up on one elbow, and reaches out, brushing the hair from his eyes with cool fingers.

"I know what you're thinking." She says, soft. "I like Helen fine for a little girl." She lays her head on his shoulder. "There's an awful lot of 'J' names; Joshua, Jacob, Jordan...that one would work for a boy or a girl."

"You skipped 'I'." He laughs. "You'd better brush up on the alphabet there, Mama. Maybe we should be sure to paint it on the nursery wall so you won't forget."

She sticks her tongue out at him. "Isaac."

"You stick me with 'K'? Katie?"

"Lauren."

"Melvin."

Winona makes a gagging noise. "You can't be serious."

"Hey, my Mom's grandfather was named Melvin. Melvin Varner."

She laughs. "We don't live in Harlan, Raylan. What do you think of Nathan? Nate's a good nickname, too."

"I like that," he says. "Nate. And again I get the weird letter...'O'...what? Orville?"

Winona giggles.

"Oscar? Johnny Crowder had a dog named Oscar. Nasty thing. Got rabies and he had to shoot it."

"That's awful."

"Olivia's a nice name."

Winona nods. "I like that. I can't think of a single name that starts with 'p' that I like, though. Well, besides Palmolive."

Raylan rolls his eyes. "'Q'? Did you sit down and plan this out so I'd get the godawful letters?"

"No," she grins. "It's just worked out that way, I swear. Forget 'Q'. I like the name Rachel."

"So do I, but if we use that one Tim'd get all jealous thinkin' I like her best." Raylan stifles a yawn.

"Don't go to sleep on me now, Cowboy, we're almost done. 'S' is yours...that's easy."

"Sam," he says. "Or Seth. There was another marshal named Seth..."

"Of course there was." Winona rolls her eyes. "How about Trina?"

"That's diff'ernt. Where'd you hear that?"

"I had a friend named Trina back in high school."

"Aw, hell. 'U'? No names start with 'U'."

"Ursula." Winona laughs.

"What was that kid's name on that old television show...the one who wore pants up to his armpits?"

"Urkle?" She smothers another laugh.

"That was it. Urkle Givens...whaddya think?"

"Poor kid." She stretches, pressing against him. "Valerie."

"Wyatt."

"As in Wyatt Earp, of course."

"Yeah, but Earp wouldn't _have _to be his middle name."

"No names start with X," Winona complains.

"What? The first time _you_ get a hard one and you crap out?" He taps her temple with a finger. "Come on...you can think of somethin'."

"Xavier?"

"Good one."

"'Y'..." Raylan frowns. "Shit."

"What?" Winona lifts her head and looks at him.

"The only name I can think of starts with 'Y' is Yvette."

"That's a pretty name. What's wrong with it?"

"It belongs to Emmett Arnett's secretary; and she's probably dead, along with Arnett."

"Oh. Let's not use that one then."

"Last letter. All yours."

"Zeke." She grins at him.

"And I woulda bet good money you were gonna say Zachary. See, you always surprise me."

"That's why you love me."

"Oh, you think that's it, do you?"

"Yeah, I do. I keep you on your toes. You'd be bored to death with some predictable woman fawning all over your every move, telling you how brave and daring you are, and waiting at the door every night with a beer in one hand and your slippers in the other."

"I don't wear slippers."

"That's beside the point. You'd be bored. Trust me, I know you. Besides, I keep you humble."

He turns his head to look at her. "Oh you do, do you?"

"Yep."

Silence stretches out for a few minutes. "Don't you want to know why _I _love _you_?" Winona asks.

"Shouldn't that be obvious?" He raises an eyebrow. "I'm the perfect man. You left me and came back, so that must be it."

Winona tilts her head and looks at him. "So much for keeping you humble," she laughs. "You're not quite _perfect. _Almost..." she kisses him soft on the mouth. "...but not quite. Actually..." She brushes her lips across his cheek and whispers in his ear.

A slow smile spreads across his face. "Oh, so it's not _me_...it's.."

She smiles back. "Yeah, that thing you do. Well, that's _one _of the reasons anyway."

"You like that, huh?"

"Um hmm. A lot."

"So...you want me to do it _now?"_

"Um hmmm." She murmurs again, running her fingers through his hair.

He scoots down, tugging the blankets off, and pushes her shirt up, planting a kiss on the soft skin of her stomach. "Okay, under one condition." He looks up at her.

"Yeah, what's that?"

"The only name I wanna hear you sayin' for the rest of the night is _mine_."


End file.
